Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a practical method and apparatus for treating waste material, including municipal, industrial, construction, and agricultural waste, to reduce the disposal volume of the solid waste and to produce a clean producer gas that can be recovered for use in various applications or can be burned to yield a non-polluting off-gas. In particular, the present invention relates to a process for controlled thermo-gasification of waste materials wherein the waste is subjected to a two step gasification process which utilizes two separate and distinct gasification chambers that are operated in series. As a result of the process of the present invention, the waste material is reduced in volume by at least 80 percent, and a clean producer gas is produced without creating any adverse effect on the environment.